Business

Uber’s New Ventures Have Little To Do With Transportation

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

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Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
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Uber is full steam ahead on their mission to permeate every aspect of the service industry by integrating far more than ride-sharing. The introduction of “Uber + Travel” and “UberLIFE” showcases that the ride-hailing company isn’t satisfied with its current global stature.

The new features will be available in China over the coming months, and will include digital magazines to enlighten readers on what’s happening in that locality and give them information on international travel options, according to TechCrunch. China has a terrible reputation for censorship and human rights violations, and Uber will have to tread lightly to avoid supporting government policy.

Uber has been raising massive amounts of money to combat their Chinese rival, Didi Chuxing, and to carve out as large of a sphere of influence as possible in a giant market. Uber was even willing to accept $3.5 million from the Saudi Arabian government, which restricts the rights of women and people of the gay community in a number of ways.

Uber is confident that both the money-grabbing maneuvers and the all-in-one functionality will allow them to be the No. 1 ride-sharing app in a year, only a few years after entering the country. All-in-one services are something that people seem to want, especially in China. WeChat, now arguably the most popular application in China, started as a mobile messaging system but then expanded to include online payments, shopping, gaming and video communication.

Uber is taking note of these trends and evaluated data that revealed that on average, people look at their application for a minute and a half more after being picked up. In those 90 seconds, Uber wants you to discover what else they have to offer.

At TechCrunch’s event in Shanghai, Uber China Vice President of Operations Kate Wang showed off the new components to other tech enthusiasts. “This reminds us that Uber is a global service serving global citizens,” Wang said.

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